


The Stories That I Can't Explain

by kikikryslee



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Banter, Christmas Eve, First Dates, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Inappropriate Humor, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-02 13:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13318914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikikryslee/pseuds/kikikryslee
Summary: “Are you closing?” the woman asked, rushing into Louis' store. “I just have to pick something up!”“I’m really sorry, but if you come back on Tuesday, we’ll be opening again at normal time,” Louis told her, trying to get her out of the shop.“No, please! I-” The woman dropped her head, and Louis watched in horror as she started crying. He didn’t do well with tears. “Please, I just have to pick up a ring, it’s- It’s for my brother, and he’s well… He’s dying. And it’s really important that I get it.”Louis could feel his mouth drop open even farther than it already had been. “Um…”Just then, a man walked into the store. He took one look at the woman and rolled his eyes.“Gemma, you haven’t told another stranger that I’m dying, have you?” he asked.The woman, Gemma apparently, turned to face him.“Of course I didn’t, Harry,” she said.---Or, the one where no one is actually dying, but Gemma likes to lie about Harry's livelihood to get what she wants. Harry isn't amused. Louis kind of is, though.





	The Stories That I Can't Explain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [glitterlarries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterlarries/gifts).



> I volunteered to pinch hit for this fic, just because I thought the last prompt would be fun to write. And it was! I wrote it in three days, I think, so that should show how much fun I had.  
> Thank you to [Kat](http://harrystinyshorts.tumblr.com/) and [Michelle](https://temporaryfixlouis.tumblr.com/) for reading through this for me!  
> This fic was written for the prompt:  
> Harry and Louis have never met, but they share some mutual friends. They end up at the same New Years party both dressed in the same oddly specific costume that no one else seems to understand or find funny. But that doesn't matter because they find each other. And it feels like they understand each other before either has even uttered a single word.  
> They spend the whole party together and they are still together long after their very first kiss at midnight, both dressed the same and both with the feeling that nothing will ever be the same again.  
> And like, it's kind of in there, but you said I could change up the fic, so I just adjusted a few things. Instead of costumes, it's jokes. I hope you still like it!  
> Title is from "Story of My Life." Obviously.

Louis let out a deep breath as the last customer walked out of the jewelry store.  

 _Finally_ , he thought to himself. It was 4:01 on Christmas Eve, and Louis couldn’t wait to close down the shop and head home.

As he walked out from behind the counter to lock the front door, he saw a woman with straight, shoulder-length platinum blonde hair sprinting toward the store.

 _No, no, no_ , Louis thought. _Please don’t come in._

She did.

“Are you closing?” she asked hurriedly.

“Yes, miss, I’m afraid we-”

“No! No, no, please! I just have to pick something up!”

“I’m really sorry, but if you come back on Tuesday, we’ll be opening again at normal time,” Louis told her, trying to get her out of the shop.

“No, please! I-” The woman dropped her head, and Louis watched in horror as her shoulders started to shake and she began sniffling. He didn’t do well with crying. “Please, I just have to pick up a ring, it’s- It’s for my brother, and he’s well… He’s dying. And it’s really important that I get it.”

Louis could feel his mouth drop open even farther than it already had been. “Um…”

Just then, a man walked into the store. He took one look at the woman and rolled his eyes.

“Gemma, you haven’t told another stranger that I’m dying, have you?” he asked.

The woman, Gemma apparently, stood up straight and stopped sniffling. She wiped her eyes, squared her shoulders and turned to face him.

“Of course I didn’t, Harry,” she said.

“Gemma, you need to stop doing that!” Harry told her. Then he gritted his teeth and hissed, “It’s in bad taste!”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Really? So you’re just crying in front of him for no reason?”

“He… said something mean!”

“No, I didn’t!” Louis immediately said.

Harry turned to Louis and said, “I know you didn’t. I’m sorry. You’ll have to forgive my sister. She’s a bit of a drama queen.”

“I resent that!”

“Go ahead and resent it. It doesn’t make it less true. But really,” Harry stopped to read Louis’ nametag, “Louis, we really do just need to pick up a ring for our mom. The band on it has been cracked for a while, and we were hoping to get it fixed to surprise her with tomorrow at Christmas dinner.”

“Yeah, but someone,” Gemma elbowed Harry in the side, causing him to grunt, “forgot to pick it up. So actually, it’s his fault that we’re even here right now.”

“OK…” Louis started to say.

“I really thought she was picking it up,” Harry tried to explain.

“Why would _I_ pick it up if _you_ work right down the street?” Gemma asked.

Harry turned to face her. “I don’t know! I thought you were already out getting other things and could stop over.”

“That’s stupid and you know it.”

“You’re stupid,” Harry replied.

“Oh, shut up.”

“You shut up!”

“Guys!” Louis interrupted them.

Both of them turned to look at Louis, who suddenly felt quite intimidated by the set of siblings.

“Um…”

“Louis?”

Louis’ eyes widened and he turned to face the back of the store. He’d actually forgotten that his manager Liam was in the stock room running inventory.

“Hi, Liam!”

“What’s going on?” Liam asked, staring at Harry and Gemma. “It’s already 4:05, why are there still customers here?”

“Well, you see, Liam…” Louis glanced over his shoulder at the siblings and took a look at them, both of whom looked like they were really desperate to get this ring.

“You owe me one,” Louis whispered.

They looked surprised, but subtly nodded.

Louis sighed and told Liam, “Their brother is dying, and they need to pick up something to bring a smile to his face for what could be the last time.”

Liam gasped and he brought a hand to his chest in shock. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. Yes, of course, take all the time you need.”

Gemma nodded, looking like she was holding back tears. “Thank you, sir.”

Harry just stood there next to her, clearly trying to hold his tongue.

“You’re quite welcome. Have a wonderful holiday, OK?”

“We will, thanks to kind and generous people like you.”

Louis wanted to barf. There was no need to overdo it now.

“Louis, I’ll just be in the back, OK?” Liam said.

“Got it. Thanks, Liam.”

Liam smiled at Harry and Gemma and returned to what he had been doing.

“Laying it on a little thick, weren’t you?” Harry whispered after Liam was gone.

“Well it worked, didn’t it?” Gemma shot back.

“What’s the last name?” Louis asked, shaking his head at what his life was becoming.

“Styles,” Harry answered.

“Oh, the blue sapphire ring,” Louis said in recognition. He pulled a key from the chain around his neck and unlocked the door to the small storage room behind the register. He grabbed a black box from the first shelf he saw, knowing it to be the ring that he had worked on just yesterday.

“Look it over and see if it meets your expectations,” Louis instructed as he returned to the main floor. He gave the box to Gemma, who examined the ring first before passing it over to Harry.

“Looks perfect,” Gemma told him, getting out her wallet and taking out a credit card. “Here you go.”

Louis ran the card and printed out the receipt.

“Thank you so much, Louis,” Gemma said as she signed it. “We really appreciate it.”

“Of course. Just try to get here before closing next time, OK?” he joked.

Gemma and Harry smiled. “We will,” he promised.

“OK. Have a good night. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”

Gemma walked out of the store first, holding open the door for Harry, who was lingering a bit. Louis got the feeling that he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he just shot Louis a smile, causing Louis to feel all warm and tingly inside.

Louis smiled back, and was left breathless as Harry’s grin widened, revealing adorable dimples in his cheeks.

“Bye, Louis,” Harry said softly.

“Bye.”

And then they were gone, and Louis leaned forward to rest his forearms on the glass display case in front of him, wondering how accurate Gemma had been when she said that Harry worked just down the street.

Hopefully that meant he might see him around soon.

\---

On Tuesday morning, Louis was back in the shop, bright and early. It was slow for a while. They only had one customer from the time they opened until almost noon.

Liam was on his lunch break and his coworker Logan was in the back, getting more jars of jewelry cleaner to put out while Louis was cleaning a display case.

He looked up when he heard the door open, pleasantly surprised to see Harry, the man from the other night. This time, he wasn’t with his sister.

But, just to have a little fun, Louis gasped loudly when Harry approached the counter. He took a few steps back, too.

“Louis, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a- Wait.”

“Finish the sentence, Harry.” Louis stifled a laugh.

Harry sighed. “Like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Now Louis couldn’t hold it back. He started laughing so hard tears started forming. “You should’ve seen your face! That was fun!”

“Are you finished?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, I think so.” Louis took a deep breath. “Yeah, you should probably tell your sister to stop telling people you’re dying. I might be concerned at seeing you in my store right now.”

“You think I haven’t been trying?”

“Nah. I’m sure you have. But, anyway… Welcome back,” Louis greeted.

“Thanks. Um, I just came by to say sorry. For my sister, I mean. And, I guess for making you stay late to help us. You probably think we’re crazy. I swear we’re not.”

Louis smiled. “Nah, just the opposite, really. I can tell you guys really love your mom. I mean, Gemma really had me believing you were on your deathbed. Her being able to cry on command is pretty dangerous, though. I’m sure she gets out of a lot of trouble with that skill.”

“She does. You wouldn’t believe all of the crazy things she’s made me do.”  

“Wrong again. I absolutely would believe it.”

Harry chuckled.

“Maybe, um, you could tell me about it, I don’t know, over dinner?” Louis asked slowly.

Harry smiled shyly. “Um…” He scratched at the back of his neck. “That, actually, was um, what I came in for. I mean, to apologize, yes, but also to ask you if you might be free some time?”

“This weekend looks pretty wide open, actually,” Louis said.

“Friday?”

“After I get done work? So, maybe 7:30?”

“Perfect!” Harry said. “Can’t wait.”

“Me, either.”

The two of them smiled at each other, both unsure of where to take the conversation next.

“Um, so…” Harry started. “I actually have to get to work.”

“Yeah, Gemma mentioned you worked close by.”

“Yeah, at um, the bank, actually. It’s really boring, but it pays pretty well.”

“Well, it’s good to know that if I ever want to rob a bank, I know someone on the inside.”

Harry snorted. “Guess you could say that.”

Louis laughed.

“OK, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, Friday.”

“Cool. Oh! Wait, I should probably get your number.”

“Oh, right.” Louis rattled off the digits as Harry quickly typed them into his phone.

“OK, I really have to go,” Harry said, saving the number.

“I’ll see you Friday.”

“Friday.”

With one last wave, Harry left the store, hurrying down the street.

Louis bit his lip, hoping he could contain his squeal of excitement.

“What do you look so happy about?” Logan asked as he came back to the main floor, carrying a box of cleaner.

“I have a date on Friday!”

“Really? With who? Wait, how?”

“He just came in. And asked me. It’s that guy I texted you about on Sunday.”

“The guy whose sister told you he was dying?” Logan asked.

“The very one.”

“That’s awesome. It’s probably even better now that he’s, you know, alive.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt.”

“Well good for you, man,” Logan praised.

“Thanks.”

“Just don’t start having ghost babies with him. I don’t know if the world is ready for that.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it.”

“Any time.”

\---

On Friday night, Louis was set to meet Harry at the restaurant on the street where both of them worked. Unfortunately, traffic was not cooperating with Louis that evening.

“I’m sorry!” Louis cried out as he rushed over to the table were Harry was sitting. “I’m so sorry!”

“Louis, it’s OK. Really.”

“How can you say that? I’m twenty minutes late! I mean, God, Christmas is over. Why are there so many people out in the area just driving around?”

“Well, there’s that winter festival happening in the park a few blocks away, so people are probably driving around looking for parking.”

Louis frowned. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Your side against what? Traffic?”

“Yes! It’s all traffic’s fault I’m late! I swear I left on time.”

Harry smiled. “OK. I’m on your side. Sorry.”

“See? Now was that so hard?” Louis sat down in the chair across from Harry. “I need a drink.”

“After the night you’ve had so far, I’m not surprised. By the way, I kind of wanted to check out that winter festival after we finished eating.”

“You’re killing me, Styles.”

Harry shrugged. “It’s nice to not be the dying one sometimes.”

Louis burst into laughter. “Yeah, don’t think I forgot about you telling me all of your ‘dying brother’ stories.”

“Don’t worry, I’m all set. Should I start with the time she made me fake a seizure to get out of a speeding ticket? Or, the time she claimed I was having a heart attack so we could get out of paying our bill at the restaurant where we’d just eaten?”  

“Oooh…” Louis had to think about that one. “Um, you know what? Go big or go home. Tell me about the heart attack.”

“Cool. OK, so…”

Just then, the waitress came over to where they were sitting. “Sir, can I get you anything to drink?”

“Yeah, um…” He looked at what Harry had in front of him. “What’s that?”

“Long Island Iced Tea,” Harry answered.

“Starting off heavy?”

Harry winked. “Go big or go home, right?”

Louis snorted. “Yeah, I suppose so.” He looked back to the waitress and ordered a Long Island, as well.

“Be right back with that,” she promised.

“Thank you,” Louis said to her as she walked away. Then he told Harry, “OK. Story time.”

“OK. So I’m in high school, right? Just got my first job, so I was making a little bit of money. And I wanted to take Gemma out for breakfast for her birthday. So we go to this little café that was a few towns over from ours. We’d been there once or twice, and, obviously, have not been back since then. So we get the check, and I reach into my back pocket for my wallet, and it’s not there.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes. So I realize that I’d left the wallet in my work pants from the night before, meaning that I definitely didn’t have it. So I tell Gemma this, and of course she gets pissed at me because she didn’t bring any money with her, either. Now, logically, the best thing to do would’ve been to call our mom so she could come by with money, right?”

“That’s what I would probably do, yeah,” Louis answered honestly.

“Well, the problem was that, she was at work, and Gemma and I had sort of skipped school to go out to eat?”

Louis gasped. “Harry!”

“I know!” Harry groaned. “I mean, it wasn’t so bad for Gemma; she was in college and was only missing an 8 am class. But I was missing an entire day of my senior year because Gemma sounded enough like my mom over the phone that she called me out sick.”

Louis started laughing loudly, trying to stifle it with a hand over his mouth. “OK, so Gemma called you out of school _and_ makes you act like you’re dying so that you can get out of things. Has she ever considered a life of crime?”

“Probably,” Harry answered. “But it’s best not to encourage it, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess. So what happened next?”

“Well… Gemma realized what needed to be done. She got that look in her eyes, and, well I don’t know if you have sisters-”

Louis snorted. “I have five.”

“Oh, shit! Wow, that’s a lot.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, you were saying? Sisters?”

“Right. Well you know how they get like, _the look_ in their eyes when they’re up to something?”

Louis nodded, knowing exactly what Harry was talking about.

“Well, she had that look, and I knew I was screwed. So, she made sure nobody was looking and whispered that I should play along. I didn’t have enough time to ask what that meant before she socked me as hard as she could in the chest, right by my heart.”

“Oh, my God.”

“So, naturally, I started crying out in pain, because Gemma knows how to throw a punch, and I grabbed at the spot where she’d hit. To anybody, it looked like I was actually having a heart attack, when really I was just caught off-guard. And she stands up and starts yelling that I need to go see a doctor, and she grabs me and pulls me out of the restaurant, and the entire time, I’m just gasping like an idiot. And we got in her car and drove home.”

“And nobody stopped you?” Louis asked.

“Would _you_ stop somebody who looked like they were having a heart attack? The waiters probably just didn’t want to deal with that themselves. Plus, it was early enough that most people weren’t really thinking logically. And, like I said, we’ve never gone back.”

“Probably for the best.”

“Yeah.”

“That was…” Louis didn’t even know how to describe that. “A rollercoaster from start to finish.”

“That’s life with Gemma, in a nutshell.”

“Clearly.”

The waitress came up with Louis’ drink then. “Here you are, sir,” she said, setting his tea right in front of him. “Were you two ready to order?”

“Um…” they both said, clearly having been too busy talking to actually look at the menu.

“I’ll have the…” Louis started. He opened his menu and said the first thing he read. “Chicken parm, please.”

“And I’ll have the same,” Harry said.

“And can we have an order of fries, too? To share?”

She nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll put that right in for you.”

They both thanked her as she walked away.

“So, Louis,” Harry started, “do you have any stories of siblings trying to get you to play dead?”

Louis stirred the straw in his drink and took a long sip. “Not like you, I don’t think. Like, they’ve seriously threatened, but never actually acted on anything. Oh, my sister Lottie went off on me once. Well, lots of times, really, but there was one time in particular that comes to mind.”

“Oh, this could be good. OK, what happened?”

Louis rubbed his hands together, gearing up to tell the story. “OK! So… my sister Lottie really likes makeup. And for her birthday one year, she got like, these really expensive tubes of lipstick. So, just to mess with her, I went to the dollar store and bought some that were in like, similar shades as the ones she got.”

“Oh, you didn’t.”

“Oh, I did. I hid the real stuff in my room, and one day, I wrote on her vanity mirror with the cheap ones. Something like, ‘lipsticks make good crayons.’ And by the time she found out, I was outside. So she comes out of the house screaming at me, telling me she’s going to kill me and slash the tires on my car, the whole nine yards. Then she pushed me in the pool, fully clothed.”

Harry was laughing by the time Louis finished the story. “So then what happened?”

“Well, I climbed out of the pool, dripping wet, and went and got the real makeup. When I gave it to her, she still kicked me! And my mom said I deserved it. Jeez, you play one little prank on people…”

“Something tells me that’s not the first time you’ve pranked your sister.”

Louis gasped. “How could you say such a thing to me, Harry?”

“Because it’s probably the truth?”

Louis sighed. “Maybe. But anyway, that’s the most I’ve ever gotten from my sisters.”

“So like, typical sibling behavior?”

“I guess you could say that, yeah. I was a little afraid of her that time around, though. There was like, actual fire in her eyes.”

“Yeah, I think if I ever pulled a prank on Gemma, she actually _would_ kill me. But she does enough acting for the both of us that I just don’t go there.”

“Oh, you’re not a prankster, Styles?” Louis sat back in his seat. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“Why?” Harry asked suspiciously. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing! Really.” Louis smirked.

“Louis…”

“I’ll save it until the second date. How’s that?”

“Second date, huh?” Harry leaned forward. “How do you know you’ll get a second date?”

“Well, I don’t… But I have a lot of hope.”

“Hmm… Well, something tells me you won’t have to worry about it too much.”

“Yeah?”

Harry smiled. “Yeah.”

\---

“How am I supposed to choose?” Harry whined, reading the sign on the side of the hot chocolate truck.

The two of them had finished dinner, which had been a wonderful success to say the least, and had made the short walk to the winter festival in Bennett Park, just a few blocks from the restaurant.

The first stop had been a food truck that specialized in selling hot chocolate, and the list of flavors that could be added to their cocoa was so endless it was difficult to choose.

“I think I want the s’mores flavor,” Louis thought out loud. “Oh, but the gingerbread could be interesting.”

“My first reaction was that the peppermint would be perfect, but that chai latte is calling my name, too.”

They moved up a spot in line.

“OK, maybe we should just keep it simple. Let’s just get Nutella and call it a- Oh, wait, they have white fudge? Come _on_.”

“OK. Give me a number,” Harry said.

“Why?”

“Well, I just counted, and there’s 23 flavors on that board, so close your eyes, give me a number and I’ll tell you which number that matches up with, and that’s the flavor we’ll get.”

“But what if I don’t want that flavor?”

“Then you’ll just have to fucking pick one, won’t you?”

Louis pouted. “Fine.” He closed his eyes and said, “eleven.”

He opened his eyes and saw Harry counting the flavors on the board.

“Milky Way,” he announced. “How’s that sound?”

“Milky Ways have caramel in them, right?”

“I think so.”

“Sounds good to me,” Louis said.

A few minutes later, they got to the register and ordered two Milky Way hot chocolates.

Louis paid for them and they moved to the side to wait for the cups to be finished.

“So, Louis, how would you rate this date so far?”

“Oh, this is a date?” Louis teased.

Harry frowned. “You’re not funny.”

Louis smiled. “Um, I’ll say it’s a 6/10 so far.”

“Really?” Harry asked. “Well how can I bring it up?”

“Well, this might bring it up to a 7.” Louis reached over and brought their hands together, tangling his fingers up with Harry’s.

“So it’s a 7 now?” Harry wondered.

“I think so.”

“And how can we make it an 8?”

“One way comes to mind.” Louis tilted his head down just enough so that he could look up at Harry from beneath his eyelashes, in that coy, flirty way that Louis knew always got him what he wanted.

Harry smiled before slowly licking his lips. Then he started leaning in, getting just a few inches away, and then…

“Louis! Two Milky Ways!”

They stopped, the moment disturbed by their order being ready.

“I’ll go get it,” Harry said. He let go of Louis’ hand to make his way back over to the truck.

Louis tried not to pout.

\---

After getting their hot chocolate, Louis and Harry made their way around the park, taking in all of the sights.

“I could do that,” Louis said, examining an elaborately done ice sculpture.

“Really?” Harry asked. “You could carve Elsa out of a block of ice?”

“Sure, I could. Couldn’t you?”

Harry snorted. “I can make ice cubes in the freezer. That’s about it.”

“Oh, well clearly I can’t date you if your ice sculpting skills aren’t up to par.”

“However will I go on?” Harry joked.

Louis shrugged and took a sip of his hot chocolate, now that it had cooled down enough not to scorch his tongue.

“So what are you doing for New Year’s?” Harry asked.

“My friends are having a party at their apartment. They’ve done it the last few years, and it’s always a good time. How about you?”

“Well, I usually spend it with Gemma, but one of my college friends invited me to a party at his cousin’s place. I don’t know; I’m still deciding, I guess.”

“Well, do you know your friend’s cousin?” Louis asked.

“I’ve met her a few times. She’s pretty nice, and she said I could come. But, I don’t know, I’d only know her and my friend. It might just be easier to go to Gemma’s. I know most of her friends.”

“Well, you could always come to my friend’s party. Although, you’d only know me there, so that might not help.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah, that might not help. But next year, though…”

“Styles, we’ve barely established that this date was going well enough to warrant a second one, and now you’re talking about a year away?”

Harry shrugged. “Well, when you’ve looked in the eyes of death so many times, you learn to say what you want.”

Louis burst out laughing, caught off-guard by the comment. He needed to stop walking for a moment until he caught his breath.

“So that’s just going to be like, our thing, isn’t it?” Louis asked.

“I think it really might be,” Harry told him. “Is that OK with you?”

Louis pretended to think about it. He took Harry’s hand in his and started walking, swinging their joined hands between them.

“I think I could get used to it.”

Harry’s smile was the only reply he needed.

\---

On Sunday afternoon, Louis came back from his lunch break to see a beautiful bouquet of white and pink lilies on the counter.

“These came for you while you were out,” Logan said from his place behind the register.

Liam was currently helping a customer looking at bracelets, but he looked up to watch Louis read the card that came with the flower.

Louis smiled and opened the envelope to read what Harry – he assumed it was Harry. Who else would send him flowers? – had written.

The note was quite long, and Louis started laughing almost immediately.

_Louis,_

_In case you didn’t know, these are lilies. And apparently they’re the flowers most commonly used at funerals. Did you know that? I think the florist does, because he’s staring at me like he should he concerned. He probably thinks I’m a murderer. But I found it funny, and I really hope you do, too._

_Anyway, I had a wonderful time on our date. Can’t wait to see you again on Tuesday. I’ll text you tonight at midnight._

_\- H_

Louis absolutely found it funny, and definitely agreed about the date. They had a great time, and by the time the evening ended - with a kiss on the cheek from Harry - they had agreed to see a movie on Tuesday night after Harry got out of work. 

He was still chuckling as he took out his phone to text him.

 **_Louis:_ ** _got the flowers. I love them! thank you. and yes, I definitely find it funny._

When Louis put his phone back in his pocket, he looked up to see that Liam had joined them, momentarily leaving the customer on his own to browse.

“Did someone send you death flowers?” Liam whispered.

“They’re not death flowers.”

“Uhh… Yeah, they are. They were all over my grandmother’s funeral.”

“They’re not death flowers,” Louis said. “They’re lilies.”

“Who would send you death flowers?” Logan asked.

“They’re _lilies_. And they’re they’re from Harry.”

“Did he mean to send you those?”

“Of course he did,” Louis answered.

Liam raised an eyebrow. “OK.”

“Weird,” Logan added.

Louis rolled his eyes. “No, they’re not. They’re sweet.”

Liam and Logan exchanged a look. In unison, they said, “If you say so.”

\---

That night, Louis was sitting in his friends’ Perrie and Jade’s apartment, at their annual New Year’s Eve party. So far, it was the three of them, Niall and Sophia. Logan – along with a friend of his – and Liam would be getting there any minute, and more people were set to arrive as the night went on.

“So Louis, how was your date on Friday?” Perrie asked, aiming for nonchalant, and failing at it.

Louis took a drink of his beer. “It was good. Really good, actually. We went for dinner and then went to the winter festival in town, and it was a lot of fun. He was really nice and funny and so, _so_ good-looking. I’m seeing him again Tuesday.”

“What was his name again?” Niall asked.

“Harry. We met at the jewelry store, actually.”

Jade hummed. “That’s cool. Was he like, shopping for something?”

“Well, um,” Louis cleared his throat. “It’s a funny story, actually…”

“Yo!”

Everyone looked up and saw Logan walking into the apartment.

“Hey, man, there you are,” Louis called out.

“Yeah, I’m here. Had to wait for Harry to show up.”

Louis frowned. “Harry?”

And sure enough, in walked Harry, who saw Perrie first.

“Hey, Perrie, thanks for having m-” Then Harry saw Louis, and then, as surprised as he was, smiled at him. “Louis! Hi!”

“Hey! You’re back from the dead, I see,” Louis joked.

“Yeah, you know. Heaven wasn’t really for me. It was just too bright up there, and you know, they don’t let you bring sunglasses.”

“Oh? Did you try the alternative?”

“Nah, heat doesn’t really work for me, either. It makes my hair all frizzy.”

“Oh, I see. Well that’s understandable. Glad you came back to the land of the living.”

“Me, too.”

The two of them shared a laugh, oblivious to the strange looks their friends were giving them.

“Um, what the fuck are you guys talking about?” Niall asked, clearly confused.

“Oh, well that’s what I was just saying. See, Harry’s the guy I went out with on Friday night,” Louis said.

Logan held up a hand. “Wait, _Harry_ ’s the guy you thought was dying?”

“What?” the rest of the group cried in unison.

“Wait, you were dying?” Niall wanted to know.

“Louis, why didn’t you tell us?” Sophia asked.

“I didn’t know you were sick!” Perrie said.

“Guys, calm down,” Louis said over Logan’s loud laughter. “Thanks, man. Really.”

“This is hilarious,” Logan said.

“Hang on,” Harry cut in. “I can explain.”

“Yeah, please do,” Jade told him, “because this all sounds a little bizarre.”

Just then, Liam entered the apartment.

“Hey, guys,” he called out, taking off his coat and scarf. “What’s going on?”

“Well, Louis here was just telling us about how Harry, who he went on a date with, just came back from the dead or something,” Jade said.

Liam turned from the coat rack and looked at the group. Louis saw the recognition flash across Liam’s face, followed closely by horror, and Louis immediately knew what was going to happen.

“Hey, Li, we should explain-“ Louis tried to say before being interrupted.

“Louis!” Liam hissed, walking quickly to where Louis sat on the couch. “His brother is _dying,_ and you mention coming back from the dead? How insensitive are you?”

Liam slapped Louis on the side of the head.

“Ow!” Louis whined. Then he pinched Liam on the arm.

“Stop it!”

“You stop it!”

“Liam!” Harry cut in. “It’s Liam, right?”

Liam nodded.

“I have to be honest with you: my brother’s not really dying. I don’t actually have a brother. My sister told that lie to Louis just so he would get us the ring that I was supposed to pick up, and he very nicely told that to you so you would agree to it.”

Liam looked quickly between Harry, who at least looked apologetic, and Louis, who looked suddenly smug.

“You don’t have a dying brother?” Liam asked for confirmation.

Harry shook his head. “No, I don’t. I promise.”

Liam sighed. “Oh, that’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, it is,” Louis said. “Have anything you want to say to me, Payno?”

Liam gave Louis a quick once-over before shooting out his fist and punching Louis on the arm.

“Ow! What the hell?”

“That’s for lying to me,” Liam told him, taking a seat on the arm of the loveseat where Sophia and Niall sat.  

“Harry lied first!”

“But you kept it up. Plus, I don’t know Harry well enough to punch him.”

Louis pouted, but gave up the argument he wasn’t going to win.

“Sorry,” Harry whispered to him.

Louis shrugged and took a drink of his beer.

“OK, so,” Perrie said, trying to make sense of everything, “Harry lied-”

“Technically, his sister Gemma lied first,” Louis told him.

“OK… Gemma lied about a dying brother, who was actually Harry-”

“And I’m clearly not dying,” Harry said.

“Because she had to get a ring from Louis.”

“Because we came after hours.”

“And then, obviously, that wasn’t true, and Louis, you went along with it, because…”

Louis shrugged. “If anybody was willing to kill off their own brother, I might as well just let them pick up the damn ring they came in for.”

“This is a really strange story,” Sophia told him.

“It is,” Harry agreed. “But just know that nobody is dying. And we got the ring, because Louis was really nice about it. And my sister’s an evil liar.”

Harry took a seat on the floor in front of Louis, leaning back against his legs.

“Well.” Niall cleared his throat. “That was an interesting way to meet you… Harry, right?”

“Right.”

“Nice to meet you, man.”

“Thanks. Perrie, thanks for letting me come over.”

“Of course,” Perrie said. “You’re one of Logan’s few friends who’s not an idiot.”

“I’m in that category, right?” Louis wanted to know. “The ones who aren’t idiots?”

Perrie stared at him for a moment before shrugging a shoulder and taking a sip from her cup.

“Hey!”

Everyone laughed, and Louis just shook his head.

The conversation started back up around them, but Louis and Harry didn’t immediately join in.

Louis leaned forward and started running his fingers through Harry’s hair. Then he asked quietly, “So, not that I’m not happy to see you, but why are you here? Thought you were going to Gemma’s.”

Harry leaned his head back. “I was supposed to. But then she texted me this morning saying that she had a stomach bug, and had to cancel. So I texted Logan and asked if his invitation still stood.”

“So Logan’s the college buddy you were telling me about the other night?”

“That’s him. And Perrie’s his cousin. How do you know him?”

“I work with him.”

“Oh,” Harry said. “He did mention getting a new job. Didn’t know it was the jewelry store.”

“Small world, huh?” Louis asked.

“The smallest.”

“Oh, hey. Guess what?”

“What?” Harry wondered.

“I’m glad you know Logan. And that Gemma got a stomach bug.”

Harry smiled. “Me, too.”

\---

Two hours later, the party was in full swing. Not that Louis or Harry would’ve known, because the two of them stayed by each other’s side pretty much the whole night.

Currently, they were in the kitchen, toasting to… something.

“To sisters who threaten you with bodily harm!” Louis said.

“Cheers!”

Both of them clinked their shot glasses together and threw back the shot.

“What’s next?” Harry asked.

Louis refilled their shot glasses, but didn’t know what to say next. “Um… To…”

“To taking a shot with the guy you like and then getting a first kiss?” Harry suggested.

Louis pressed his lips together, trying to hide his smile. “I’ll drink to that.”

They both took the shot and then set their glasses on the counter next to them. As they leaned in, Louis steadied himself by grabbing onto Harry’s hips.

Harry cupped his face with one palm and wrapped his other arm around Louis’ waist, bringing him closer.

They were just centimeters apart when they heard the door to the kitchen swing open.

They turned to see Logan standing there, looking extremely apologetic.

“Oh, shit, guys,” he said. “Um, sorry.”

He grabbed a bottle of rum from the counter and left quickly.

Harry sighed. Louis just chuckled.

“Come on.” They each grabbed the bottle of beer they’d set down earlier and Louis pulled Harry out of the room, back to join the rest of the party. It was _loud_ in the large living room, just one of the many reasons the two of them had hidden in the kitchen for the last twenty minutes.

The apartment was pretty full, so there was barely any room to move around, but eventually Harry and Louis found a spot near the window.

“Are you having a good time?” Louis asked once they were situated.

“I am,” Harry answered. “I mean, I only know you, Perrie and Logan here, and all of your friends think we’re insane, but it’s still fun.”

“I mean, my friends have always thought I’m insane, so I promise it’s not really a big deal for them.”

“Yeah, but it was a shitty first impression for me.”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? You’re gonna be around next year, so you’re all going to have to get used to each other.”

Harry grinned. “Oh yeah, we did decide that, didn’t we?”

“We did.”

Somewhere in the apartment, someone yelled ‘ten minutes left!’

Louis turned and saw Jade change the channel so they could watch the ball drop in Times Square.

“Hey, so, um,” Harry said, “this might be an unexpected question, but, will you be my kiss at midnight?”

Louis snorted. “Oh, yeah. _So_ unexpected!”

“Didn’t see it coming, right?”

“Nah, not at all.”

Harry grinned. “Um, Louis, I know I’ve only known you for a week, but um, I’m really excited to see what 2018 will bring. Don’t think I’m weird for saying that.”

“Oh, I don’t. I’m excited to see what it brings, too. So, I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Cool.”

“Five minutes left!”

They realized that they’d done it again: gotten wrapped up in their own world, forgetting about everyone else.

They adjusted themselves so that they were facing the rest of the room, each putting one arm around the other’s waist.

Louis rested his head against Harry’s shoulder, watching Ryan Seacrest, Jenny McCarthy and the other celebrities on the television.

This time last week, Louis didn’t think anything special would be happening for him on New Year’s Eve, and now, here he stood, with a really great guy who seemed to be on the same page as Louis about a possible relationship.

It was nice, to say the least.

When the minute countdown started on the television, Louis tightened his grip around Harry’s waist, starting to get excited.

It felt like a good sign that their first kiss would be at midnight, a time when everything started fresh.

“Ten… Nine… Eight…” everyone started cheering.

Louis and Harry happily joined in, and when they said ‘One!’ they didn’t hesitate to bring their lips together.

Louis wasn’t surprised that Harry was a good kisser; his pink lips pressed softly and moved slowly against Louis’, sending a burst of heat through Louis’ body.

Louis wrapped his other arm around Harry and stood up on his tiptoes, leaning more into Harry’s body and more into the kiss, wanting to be as close to him as he could.

Louis and Harry didn’t even notice when the rest of the crowd calmed down and returned to what they were doing.

It took for someone saying ‘get a room’ for them to break apart.

The two of them blushed when they looked and saw Logan snickering at them. He shot them a wink as he walked by, though.

They shared a quiet laugh, but didn’t put any space in between them.

“Think it was worth the wait?” Harry asked softly, referring to their first kiss.

Louis just hid his face in the crook of Harry’s neck, hiding his smile and hugging him close.

Yeah. Definitely worth the wait.  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! And that the death jokes were actually kind of funny and not too dark.  
> <3


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